ABSTRACT
Working conditions can vary dramatically between sectors, both because of the inherent features of the work performed and because of variation in the regulatory framework between sectors. In turn, immigrants can play very different roles in different sectors. The present chapter explores the role and experience of immigrants in three countries’ domestic work sectors – Italy, Sweden and the USA. It finds that countries vary in the intensity of demand for immigrant domestic workers, as well as the types of work that immigrants perform in each country. In addition, disparities between the experiences of native and immigrant workers are greatest in Sweden, where some (mostly native) workers are integrated into the industrial relations systems and enjoy fair conditions of work as a result and others (mostly immigrant) workers labour under informal and precarious conditions. However, all three countries share a growing reliance on low-cost, precarious immigrant domestic workers. Ameliorating this, without adding to the burden of households, requires serious investment by the state, alongside a cultural reconceptualisation of household tasks as valuable work.
